I’m reading through the portion of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) that tell the story of the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus and his subsequent resurrection, in preparation for Easter. I’m also dipping into Acts to see the explosion that happened as the Apostles began to testify to the resurrection of Jesus.
You don’t need to know 1,000 things about Christianity. You don’t need to know 100. You don’t need to know 10.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15 what is of “first importance”, he broke it down like this:
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve….“
You don’t need to know 1,000 things, but you do need to know and believe the inexhaustible greatness of a very few things…Easter things, namely, Jesus Christ and him crucified, buried, risen, exalted, and returning.
If in fact Jesus Christ rose from the dead…think about that…that changes EVERYTHING.
I’m thinking you probably don’t know anybody else who’s done that!
The historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead immediately resulted in the powerful explosion of a vibrant community of followers of Jesus who were willing to die for their testimony concerning Christ. The story depended on the account of female witnesses which would not have carried great weight in those days (sorry ladies…). No, the body wasn’t stolen. No, the disciples didn’t make it up. Jesus came back to life, appeared multiple times to multiple people in a resurrected body (the kind where you can walk through walls but still eat food??? Yes, it’s amazing.)
Following Jesus resurrection and ascension to heaven came the powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The Church was born as a result of the Spirit-empowered preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the proclamation of His substitutionary death on the Cross and resurrection from the dead.
Not 1,000 things.
Luke, in Acts 4:33 states it like this:
“And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”
That’s incredible. Not 1,000 things.
Dear friend, get somewhere where you can hear the Gospel this Easter, hear someone proclaim it again, without apology, and come under the powerful grace of the testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, rose from the dead on the third day.
That (not 1,000 things…) changes everything.
